


Aftermath

by Katsuma



Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Difference, Canon Compliant, F/F, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Outdoor Bath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27168145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katsuma/pseuds/Katsuma
Summary: It’s been several weeks since Pain’s attack on Konohagakure. Uzumaki Naruto, who was once shunned by the villagers, has become the object of their admiration after defeating one of Konoha’s biggest threats to this day. Many things happened, but one could say that with this massive acknowledgement Naruto is now one step closer to realizing his dream of becoming the Hokage. The Hokage title, however, is a reminder of one of the things that went wrong once Pain’s attack on Konoha ceased. Lady Tsunade, who pushed herself far beyond her limits in order to protect her people, is still in a coma.
Relationships: Shizune/Tsunade (Naruto)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set in-between Pain's attack on Konohagakure and The Fourth Great Ninja War.

It’s been several weeks since Pain’s attack on Konohagakure. Although the material losses were great, there were only a few casualties. The village is now under reconstruction and a new hero has been born. Uzumaki Naruto, who was once shunned by the villagers, has become the object of their admiration after defeating one of Konoha’s biggest threats to this day. Many things happened, but one could say that with this massive acknowledgement Naruto is now one step closer to realizing his dream of becoming the Hokage. 

The Hokage title, however, is a reminder of one of the things that went wrong once Pain’s attack on Konoha ceased. Lady Tsunade, who pushed herself far beyond her limits in order to protect her people, is still in a coma. Despite the tremendous efforts of the most skilled Medical Ninja around, including Shizune, there was nothing else that could be done in order for the Fifth Hokage to regain consciousness. At this point, they could only hope, pray and believe in their master’s recovery.

“Lady Tsunade…” Shizune’s voice was but a whisper as she changed her master’s sweaty clothes. “What am I going to do if you never open your eyes again?” It was almost time for Tsunade’s daily check-up, but until Shizune’s colleagues arrived, it would be only the two of them in the medical tent.

“We’ve both lost so much. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.” As a top-class ninja, Shizune was usually great at concealing her emotions; people could never tell what she was thinking. But even the best ninjas had weaknesses, and hers was Tsunade. She was the only person that Shizune would ever allow herself to be vulnerable with. 

“Please, Lady Tsunade. I am begging you. Please, open your eyes.” A stray tear rolled down Shizune’s face. To everyone else, Shizune was simply Tsunade’s loyal assistant. Staying by her master’s side was her duty. But in reality, even if they weren’t in that kind of hierarchical relationship, Shizune would’ve remained there all the same. To her, Tsunade was _so much more_.

From the woman who took her in when she had nowhere else to go, to the sensei who taught her everything she knew about being a proper shinobi and skilled medical ninja, to the companion she traveled along with for who knows how many years… Tsunade was an existence that surpassed all kinds of societal definitions. She was Shizune’s one and only love. She knew that her feelings were morally wrong, and thus would never dare to say them out loud. She was determined in taking that forbidden love of hers along with her to the grave. But when she saw the nearly lifeless body of Lady Tsunade lying on the ground in the aftermath of Pain’s attack, Shizune was hit with a wave of instant regret. Things could not end like this. She would not _allow_ them to end like this. She still had so much to say…

And so, every time she was alone with her master, Shizune would share little bits of her feelings with her. She prayed and prayed, hoping that they would reach her somehow. Then, during one of those regular daily check-ups, it happened. Lady Tsunade opened her eyes. 

“Lady Tsunade…!” Shizune could not stop herself. Before she knew it, she was already hugging her master tightly and crying tears of joy. “I’m so glad you’re okay…!”

As soon as they heard the commotion, the other medical ninja came running to know what was going on. They feared the worst might’ve happened, but were instead met with good news, which quickly spread throughout Konoha.

“Shizune, you’re hurting me.” Those were Tsunade’s first words to her former apprentice after waking up from her long sleep. Still, Shizune wouldn’t let her go. Tsunade chuckled, wrapping her arms around the crying woman.

“There, there. Everything is okay now,” Tsunade patted her on the back. “But I’m _starving_. Go get something for me to eat.”

“Yes, Lady Tsunade!” It was her first order in so long, so Shizune quickly wiped her tears away and got up to go look for some provisions.

Once her chakra was back to normal, Tsunade would have a lot to catch up with. Uchiha Madara had made his move, the Akatsuki were getting ready for war, an International Shinobi Alliance was formed, and Naruto still had to learn how to control the Nine-Tails’ power. She’d barely have any time to rest.

***

“Ugh, my back is killing me,” Tsunade grunted. They had just finished their meeting with the other Kages regarding their next move on the war against the Akatsuki.

“It’s because you haven’t exercised in so long,” Shizune replied. “Want me to prepare a hot bath for you?” She asked. “I think it’d help relieve some of your muscle pain.”

“That’d be great,” Tsunade responded, “but do we even have a place with hot water running in this mess of a construction site?”

“Well,” Shizune began, “I can probably improvise something for you.”

“Then please do that,” Tsunade asked, though it sounded more like an order.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Some of the reconstruction of the village had already been done during the time that Tsunade was asleep, and that included the Hokage quarters. It was hard to have some privacy in the main room since people would be coming in and out all the time for reports and such, but no one was allowed further in unless Tsunade herself let them. So Shizune had an idea: what if she built an outdoor bath in the back of the building? All she had to do was gather wood, a toolbox and hot water. Easy enough.

An hour later, Shizune was back in the main room, where Tsunade rested in her chair. 

“Lady Tsunade,” Shizune gently shook her, “your bath’s ready.”

“Finally,” Tsunade raised her head. “Let’s go then.”

The improvised bathtub was nothing fancy, but for the intended purposes, it was good enough. Before leading Tsunade there, Shizune made sure to put a barrier around the back of the building to guarantee that no one would be peeking on her master, even by accident.

“Wow, you built this yourself?” Tsunade asked, impressed.

“Yeah,” Shizune replied, blushing a little.

“Thanks, Shizune, you’re a life-saver.” Tsunade added as she undressed and started to test the water.

Now, this wasn’t the first time that Shizune had seen Tsunade naked – only God knows how many showers she had to give her master when she’d had a bit too much to drink during their trips –, but she was still taken aback every time. Tsunade’s body was nothing short of godly-like. With or without the Transformation Jutsu, she would always be beautiful in Shizune’s eyes. While lost in her moment of admiration for the woman that she loved with every fiber of her being, Shizune might’ve stared for a bit too long, and Tsunade brought her back to reality.

“Shizune,” her master called, and Shizune knew that she would never get tired of the way her name rolled off her tongue.

“Yes, Lady Tsunade?”

“Do you want to join me?” Tsunade asked, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her companion.

“W-What? No, I couldn’t…” Shizune trailed off, redder than the circle in Tsunade’s robe.

“Come on, no need to hold back. You built this yourself. You deserve to enjoy a nice hot bath as well.” Tsunade had a point, but the bathtub wasn’t big enough for the two of them… well, not unless they were sitting together, glued to each other.

“B-But Lady Tsunade…!” Shizune tried to protest, but no words came to her mind. She couldn’t think of one good reason to refuse. Not when her primal instincts were yelling at her to make the most of this chance.

“Shizune,” Tsunade thickened her tone, “this is an _order_. Join me.”

“O-Okay…” If it was an order, then Shizune definitely couldn’t refuse. 

As she undressed, Shizune could feel Tsunade’s eyes on her, and for a moment there she felt a little self-conscious about her body. Of course, there was nothing wrong with it, but when it came to the two of them, Shizune’s couldn’t even compare. She wondered what her master thought of it.

“You’ve grown so much,” Tsunade commented as Shizune entered the bathtub and made herself comfortable. “When we met you were still a kid and we would often take baths together. You’d bug me to allow you to at least wash my back because you wanted to do something for me…” she chuckled. Little Shizune was a real piece of work. She always had to do something for Tsunade because she didn’t want to feel like a mere freeloader. “And now,” Tsunade paused, taking another look at Shizune as she stroked her back, “you’ve grown into such a fine woman. It makes me feel old.”

“W-Well, it _has_ been over a decade,” Shizune replied. “Maybe two? I don’t remember anymore… It feels like you’ve always been with me, Lady Tsunade,” she continued as the tension in her shoulders started to melt away. “That’s why when you…” Shizune recalled the image of Tsunade’s nearly lifeless body from that day and became unable to speak.

“I know. I’m sorry…” Tsunade apologized as she wrapped her arms around Shizune. She’d like to say that she would never leave her alone again, but with their age difference, it’s bound to happen someday…

“You don’t have to apologize, Lady Tsunade. You were only fulfilling your duty as the Fifth Hokage,” Shizune replied. “But…” 

“But?” Tsunade urged her to continue.

“This incident made me realize something, and I’m not sure if I can keep lying to myself for much longer.”

Tsunade wondered if something else had happened while she was in a coma. It was not often that she would see Shizune so vulnerable like this. 

“And what is it?” She asked. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Lady Tsunade…” Shizune paused for a moment, contemplating whether she should really tell her the truth or not. In the end, she decided that she didn’t want to live with any more regrets. “Lady Tsunade,” Shizune repeated, more firmly this time.

“Yes?”

“I realized that I can’t keep hiding my feelings for you anymore. I know it’s wrong and I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but… you’re more than a caretaker, a teacher or a master to me. I am in love with you.” Getting that last sentence out took more courage than Shizune ever thought she would be able to muster up. But she had to say it, and so she did.

Now, Tsunade would be lying if she said that she hadn’t noticed the way Shizune looked at her. She’d been through this way too many times before, and although they were both adults, the fact that she was a lot older than her remained. Seeing what a mess Shizune had become when she wasn’t conscious made her reluctant to pursue anything more with her former apprentice. As far as dying from old age goes, Tsunade’s death would come a lot sooner than Shizune’s.

“I see,” Tsunade finally responded. “Thank you for sharing this piece of yourself with me,” she smiled, hugging Shizune tighter. “You know that I love you too. No one understands me as well as you do, no one has stayed by my side for as long as you did, and no one cares about me as much as you do. It’d be weirder if I didn’t feel the same way about you.” Shizune could hardly believe her own ears. The secret that she’d been planning to take with her to the grave was going to rob her of a wonderful life with Tsunade. “But… you also know that we have a lot of things to consider before going further with–".

At this point, it could’ve all been just a dream. Tsunade was sure that Shizune hadn’t quite heard the last part since before she could finish, the younger woman had already turned around to kiss her. The sudden splash of the water was the only warning that Tsunade got as she was met with a mix of tears of joy, whispered “thank you’s” and “I love you’s”, and a crash of soft lips against hers. 

If they both knew that this is what a much needed hot bath would lead to, they would’ve probably done this a lot sooner. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
